Billy Grahams "One of twenty"

Still sick.

I have discovered the joy of Wallander which I got given for Christmas.

I do enjoy a gritty crime drama- it rather reminds me of Prime Suspect.

I have also been writing a sermon on Psalm 16, reading a biography of Charles Spurgeon and reading a wonderful book about church planting.

All this has got me thinking a bit about evangelism.

The other day a man at church introduced me to someone over coffee like this:

"This is David, he introduced me to Jesus Christ"

It rather took me aback.

The real truth is that I was the last in the chain.

There is a little quote in Church in the making of Billy Graham who says it so well.

"Billy Graham once said that it takes twenty people to lead someone to Christ. The first person thinks she had nothing to do with it. The last person thinks it was all him. The work of cultivation was those first nineteen people. And if they're not careful they can think all their effort was for nothing"

[P.48]

Thinking about sharing the love of Jesus with others as a link in a chain of gospel love is so helpful. You may not be the preacher who finishes the job or feel your efforts contribute little but believe me when I tell you that you count far more than you can ever imagine. Think of each day in terms of being one of the 20 in a cultivation of love and who knows who will be thankful for you when we all arrive in glory.